When Apple announced HealthKit in June as its first big step into the health and fitness space, the company emphasized the need for developers to connect their apps and its data to its hub.

Although HealthKit will pull in data from other third-party app, such as Nike, when it launches on iOS 8 (and presumably the iPhone 6) this fall, Apple isn't just waiting around for developers to build on the platform. According to a Reuters report, the company is trying to work with health providers at Mount Sinai Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins and electronics health records (EHR) provider AllScripts.

It was previously announced that Apple will be working with the Mayo Clinic and Epic software, another EHR company, so the expanded effort shows how serious the company is about providing a legit health and fitness portal for users.

While massive amounts of data are being collected by third-party software apps and devices like Glucometers, as of now, it's not centrally stored in one place and Apple aims to change that. The company's vision expands beyond consumer use: HealthKit could be a way for doctors to take a look at the collected information and use it in the diagnosis and treatment process.

Apple is also looking into an option that lets users decide if they want to share data collected from apps and the ability to securely store sensitive health information in iCloud. But HealthKit's livelihood depends on users sharing that data, and the platform will also likely face government regulations (under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) if Apple stores medical records and makes them available to other apps.

It's unknown as of now how Apple is approaching the regulatory requirements, but it's said to be working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) throughout the development process.

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